President Obama is nominating James Comey to head the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Comey is a Republican who supported John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012, but the administration sees him as a capable of acting independently, thanks in part to
things like this:
Comey, 52, served as deputy attorney general from 2003 to 2005, and made headlines when it was revealed he went to dramatic efforts to prevent the reauthorization of a controversial warrantless eavesdropping program. One night in March of 2004, Comey raced to the bedside Attorney General John Ashcroft as two senior Bush officials were en route in the hopes of getting the ailing Ashcroft to sign off on the continuation of the program.
Comey helped prevent the program's re-authorization and later told Congress he felt like the Bush administration officials attempted to "take advantage of a very sick man."
His actions drew praise from Democrats and Republicans alike, and enjoys widely bipartisan support because of it. The White House has made a concerted effort to highlight Comey’s past GOP ties, saying that the president has reached across the aisle to choose the leader of a key agency in his administration amid roiling controversies about national security and electronic surveillance.
Current FBI Director Robert Mueller's term expires on Sept. 3.